TAWAU: A total of 165 illegal Indonesian immigrants, including 36 children, were deported via the port here during the Sabah Immigration Department illegal immigrant detention transfer programme by sea last Thursday.
Immigration Department Director, Datuk SH Sitti Saleha Habib Yussuf, said the deportees consisted of 90 men, 39 women, 17 boys and 19 girls aged between three months and 76 years old who were previously detained at the Kota Kinabalu and Papar Immigration Detention Depots.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“The repatriation was carried out via the Tawau Ferry Terminal to Nunukan Port, Indonesia, using the Labuan Express and Francis Express ferries.
“This action was taken after they had completed their prison sentences and were provided with a transfer process to their country of origin after completing their travel documents,” she said in a media statement.
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According to her, all the detainees will be blacklisted in the immigration system according to the type of offence committed.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});She said so far this year, a total of 165 Indonesian detainees have been recorded returning to their country of origin via sea transport, making a total of 337 foreign nationals who have been successfully transferred to their country of origin.
Based on the statistical records of the transfer of foreign detainees to their country of origin from the State, the highest number is Indonesian citizens, with 165 people (49pc), followed by 145 Filipinos (43pc), 14 Pakistanis (4pc), 11 Chinese (3pc) and 2 other nationals (1pc).
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Meanwhile, she said, the frequency of the implementation of the Indonesian detainee transfer programme is subject to the continuous issuance of Passport Travel Certificates (SPLP) by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Malaysia.
She said the detainee transfer operation is part of Sabah department’s ongoing operations for all detainees placed to avoid long detention periods.
